Leading Rabbis Ban Access to Tiberias Route Over Spiritual Concerns Ahead of Bein Hazmanim
As the Bein Hazmanim period approaches, a significant spiritual controversy has erupted in the holy city of Tiberias. The issue centers on the removal of partitions along the main coastal road leading to the grave of Rabbi Meir Baal Haness, a revered Tannaic sage. This change, part of a municipal initiative to open a new beach area near Tiberias Lower, has created an unsegregated public space without basic facilities, causing concern among the city's ultra-Orthodox community.
Rabbi Moshe Sternbuch, a prominent halachic authority, issued an unprecedented letter forbidding passage along this route, declaring the entire area "under a presumption of danger" due to its exposure to spiritual impurity. He compared the situation to the biblical counsel of Balaam, warning that the deliberate creation of this open area is a provocation against God and endangers the Jewish people. Sternbuch urged all to avoid the path, especially institutions and girls' schools, citing a strong halachic prohibition that some say could be a matter of life and death.
The letter was supported by the Badatz of the Edah HaChareidis from Jerusalem and local Tiberias rabbis, including Rabbi Avraham Halberstam, son of the Sanz Rebbe and leader of the Sanz community in Tiberias. They collectively condemned the removal of physical barriers and the resulting spiritual hazard, calling on city leaders to urgently rectify the situation. The rabbis emphasized the importance of safeguarding the sanctity of Tiberias, a city known for its Kabbalistic heritage, especially as thousands of religious Jews prepare to visit the city's holy sites during Bein Hazmanim.
This dispute highlights tensions between municipal development plans and the religious community's efforts to maintain strict spiritual standards. The rabbis' public warning serves as a call to action for the faithful to heed their guidance and protect the city's holiness from what they describe as a grave spiritual breach.
